Counterbalance for swinging breech mechanisms



D. F. ASBURY.

COUNTERBALANCE FOR SWINGING BREECH MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13. 1916.

1,326,629. Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

i 111 M Hul numlmhl In van t 01' Altar/zeta D. F. ASBURY.

COUNTERBALANCE FOR SWINGING BREECH MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED IUNE l3. I9I6- V Patented Dec. 30,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3 l7. Fflofiar y, 0? 444 UNFIED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

DORSEY F. ASBUBY, OF VJASI-IING'IUN, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNdR TO UNITED STATES ORDNANC/E COMPANY, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A COR- PORATION OF VIRGINIA.

COUNTER/BALANCE FOR SIVINGING BREECH MECHANISMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1919.

Application filed .Tune 13, 1916. Serial No. 103,403.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DORSEY F. ASBURY, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Counterbalances for Swinging Breech Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

In large guns in order to have room at the sides of the breech opening for load ing, the breech mechanism is swung open downwardly and when opened it is under the space occupied by the loading tray.

The center of the swinging weight of a breech mechanism is generally near the center of the mass of the plug and this weight when the breech is opened downwardly or with gravity produces a varying downward acting moment and it is my purpose to produce a-varying upward acting moment to substantially balance that produced downwardly by gravitation.

Counterbalances now in use for the above purpose occupy a great deal of room under the guns breech which could otherwise be occupied by the gun yoke, recoil and counter recoil cylinders, and it is therefore my purpose to provide a counterbalance that will allow the above mentioned yoke and cylinders to be located nearer the rear end of the gun.

It is my further purpose to provide a compact counterbalance spring arrangement carried by and housed in the breech mechanism carrier and protected by said carrier; to provide a link between the spring and gun so located and arranged as to vary the inwardly acting moment of the breech mechanism so that it will substantially balance the outwardly acting moment of the breech mechanism produced by gravitation; to provide a cylinder on the carrier which swings therewith and a piston in said cylinder connected by means of the above mentioned link to be reacted from by air or other fluid pressure to swing the breech mechanism home; to provide a flexible pipe leading through said piston and protected by same to supply operating fluid to the cylinders; to provide an anti-friction bearing for the guide at the moving end of the counterbalance spring; to so locate the ends of the link that the spring will produce a double action,.one action producing an inwardly acting moment equal to the force of the spring times a constant leverage, and the other'action producing a moment equal to a component of the springs pressure times a varying leverage, this moment acting with the above mentioned constant leverage m0- mentwhen the mechanism is in some positions and against it when the mechanism is in other positions.

In the drawings chosen to illustrate my invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims Figure 1 is a view of the breech end of a gun embodying my invention with the breech mechanism in closed position and various parts of the latter being omitted for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 2, a side view of what is shown in Fig. 1 with the carrier in section and a portion of the carrier and the parts carried thereby shown in open position in dotted lines;

Fig. 3, a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. l, a section on the line 4.4c of Fig. 2; I Fig. 5, a View similar to Fig. 2showing a modified form of the invention wherein power operated means is provided for swinging the breech mechanism to closed position, and

Fig. 6, a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings and particularly Figs. 1 to i inclusive A indicates the gun, B the breech plug and C the swinging carrier. No mechanism for rotating the plug has been illustrated as such mechanism forms no part of my present invention, but the gun as shown is designed for use in connection with a breech operating means of the type illustrated in my copending application filed October 4, 1915, and serially numbered 53962. The carrier C is provided with a passage 10, a portion ofone wall of which is constituted by a removable plate 11. The wall of the passage 10 is provided with oppositely disposed longitudinal guide grooves 12 for a purpose that will presently appear. The end of the passage 10 adjacent the outer end of the carrier C is closed by a plug 13 which has formed thereon a handle 14: adapted to be gripped for the purpose of manually swinging the carrier. Slidably mounted in the passage 10 is a piston 15 which has rotatably mounted therein a transverse pivot pin 16 and rotatably mounted on the ends of this pin and engaged in respective grooves 12 are anti-friction rollers 17. Disposed within the passage 10 is a counter-balance spring 18 one end of which bears against the plug 13 and the other end against the piston 15. The piston 15 includes opposite guide arms 19 which extend inwardly on either side of the spring 18. Fixed on the gun A is a rearwardly eX- tending arm 20 which has rotatably mounted therein a pivot pin 20, and connected to this pin by a socket joint is one end of a link 21, the other end of said link being also connected with the pivot pin 16 by a socket joint.

Referdng to Fig. 2 wherein the breech mechanism is shown closed, it will be apparent that the spring 18 acts at both ends to maintain the carrier closed, the action of the spring at the end thereof r mote from the plug 13 being eltected through the link 21 and producing a component force acting rearward andbelow the center of the carrier hinge and therefore in a direction substantially at right angles to the direction of the force exerted by the spring against the plug 18. In other words the moment producing force acting on the carrier at one end of the spring is at right angles to the moment pro ducing force acting on the carrier at the other end of the spring. In swinging the carrier to open position it will be obvious that the iston 15 .18 forced inwardly of the passag 10 and that the spring 18 is compressed. During the initial portion of the opening swing of the carrier O or until the points of contact between the rollers 17 and the carrier have moved inwardly of a plane passed through the pivotal axis of the carrier at right angles to the longitudinal aXis of the spring the latter will act at its inner end to produce an inwardly acting moment. As soon as the points of contact between the rollers 17 and the carrier have moved inwardly of a plane passed through the pivotal aXis of the carrier at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the spring the latter will act at its inner end to produce an outwardly acting moment. It will thus be obvious that the spring 18 acts at the end adjacent the plug 13 to produce an inwardly acting moment equal to the force of the spring times a constant leverage and at the other end to pro duce a moment equal to a component of the springs pressure times a varying leverage, this last moment acting with the constant leverage moment when the mechanism is in some positions and against it when the mechanism is in other positions. As the carrier moves to open position the link 21 and arm 20 enter the passage 10 and when the parts have assumed the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 the spring 18 acts through the link 21 to balance the carrier in full open position. The link 21 is made of such a length and its ends so located that the moment of the force of the spring is varied to substantially counterbalance the moment produced by gravitation acting on the weight of the breech mechanism as the latter swings. In closing the carrier the energy of the spring 18 stored up by its compression during opening swing of the carrier will act through the piston 15 and link 21 to help swing the carrier against the influence of gravity.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6 wherein I employ mechanical means for swinging the carrier to closed position I dispose in the passage 10 a cylinder 22 the outer end of which is formed by a removable head 23 carrying a handle 1 for manually swinging the carrier when desired. The cylinder 22 is provided with a circumscribing flange 25 which is threaded in the passage 10 and completely closes the outer end of the latter. Slidable in the cylinder 22 is a piston 25 having a tubular stem 26 which terminates in a head 27, the latter being slidable in the passage 10. In this construction the spring 18 bears at its outer end against the flange 25 and at its inner end against the head 27. The link 21 is provided with a passage 28 and extending through this passage and the bore of the stem 26 is a flexible compressed air supply pipe 29 having one end opening through the piston 25 into the cylinder 22 and its other end secured in a fixture 30 on the arm 20. The head 27 carries an antifriction roller 31 which cooperates with the wall 01 the passage 10 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the rollers 17. In this form of my invention the action of the spring 18 during opening and closing movement or" the carrier is the same as that described with respect to Figs. 1 to 41 inelusive. It will be observed however that in the modified form of my invention the compressed fluid supplied within the cylinder 22 will act on the carrier through the head 23 and the piston 25 in the same man ner as that described with respect to the spring 18 so that during closing swing of the carrier the forces produced by the pressure of the fluid in the cylinder 22 act in harmony with the forces produced by the spring 18.

I claim 1. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier ar ranged to swing with and gravitation., and a spring mounted on the carrier one end of which acts against the carrier and the other against the gun through a swinging link.

2. In a gun, the combination of. a breech machanism including a hinged carrier arranged to swing with and against gravitation, and a spring mounted on the carrier one end of which acts against the carrier mechanism with a closing tendency and the other against the carrier and gun.

3. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hingedcarrier arranged to swing with and against gravitation, and a spring mounted on the carrier one end of which acts against the carrier and the other against the carrier and gun through a swinging link.

4. In a gun, the combination with a breech mechanism including a carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, of a spring mounted on the carrier and acting at one end against the latter to impart a closing tendency thereto, and connections between the other end of the spring and the gun.

5. In a gun, the combination with a breech mechanism including a carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, of a spring mounted on the carrier and acting at one end against the latter, and connections between the other end of the spring and the gun operating to energize the spring during downward swing of the carrier to help swing the carrier closed.

6. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, and a spring mounted on the carrier adapted to be energized during downward swing of the breech mecha nism and deenergized during closing swing of the breech mechanism.

7. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during the opening of the breech, a spring on the carrier acting against the latter, and a link having connection at one end with the spring and at its other end with the gun.

8. In a gun, the combination of a breech including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, a spring on the carrier acting at one end against the latter, and a link connecting the spring and un, the angularity of said link varying with respect to the longitudinal axes of the spring and gun during the opening and closing swing of the carrier.

9. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, and a spring on the carrier acting at one end against the carrier and at its other end against the carrier and gun, and means between the spring and gun whereby the moment producing force acting on the carrier at one end of the spr ng is at right angles to the moment producing force acting on the carrier at the other end of the spring.

10. In a gun, the combination of abreech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, a spring on the carrier acting at one end against the latter, and a link connecting the spring and gun, the osition of the connection between the spring and link varying with respect to the carrier during the opening and closing swing thereof.

11. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged. carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, a spring on the carrier acting at one end against the latter, and a link connecting the spring and gun, the angularity of said link varying with respect to the longitudinal axes of the spring and gun, and the position of the connection between the spring and link varying with respect to the carrier during the opening and closing swing of the latter.

12. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech mechanism, and a spring on the carrier acting at one end to close the carrier at all times and at its other end to open the carrier in the open position of the latter.

13. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech mechanism, and a spring on the carrier acting at both ends to close the carrier when the latter is in closed position.

14. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech mechanism, and a spring on the carrier acting at one end to close the carrier at all times and at its other end to open the carrier when the latter .is in open position and further acting at both ends to close the carrier when the latter is in closed position.

15. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, a spring housed in said carrier, and connections between the spring and gun whereby said spring is energized during opening of the breech mechanism.

16. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, said carrier being provided with a cavity, a spring in said cavity, a piston slidable in the cavity and coacting with the spring, and a link having one end pivoted to the piston and its other end pivotally connected with the gun.

17. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, said carrier being provided with a cavity, a spring in said cavity, a piston slidable in the cavity and coacting with the spring, an anti-friction bearing between the piston and the wall of the cavity, and a link having one end pivoted to the piston and its other end pivotally connected with the gun.

18. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, said carrier being provided with a passage therethrough, a plug closing one end of the passage, a spring mounted in said passage one end of which bears against the plug, connections between the spring and gun for comgressing the spring during opening of the breech, and a handle carried by the plug, adapted to be manually gripped to swing the carrier.

19. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing with and against gravitation, and a spring on the carrier one end or" which acts against the carrier and the other against the gun whereby the swinging of the carrier with gravitation energizes the spring and the swinging of the carrier against gravitation utilizes said energy.

20. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a movable carrier, a cylinder mounted on the carrier, and a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun and movable with respect to the carrier during all movements of said carrier.

21. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a movable carrier, a cylinder on the carrier and immovable with respect thereto, and a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun and movable with respect to the carrier during all movements of said carrier.

22. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, said carrier being pro- Vided with a cavity, a spring in the cavity, a piston slidablc in the cavity and coacting with the spring, an arm on the gun, and a link connected to the piston and arm, said link and arm moving into the cavity of the carrier during opening of the breech.

23. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a movable carrier, a cylinder on the carrier, a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun, and means for supplying motive fluid to the cylinder through said piston.

24. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a movable carrier, a cylinder on the carrier, a piston slidable in the c linder and connected with the un and a flexible pipe connected wi h. the piston for delivering motive fluid through said piston to the cylinder.

25. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a movable carrier, a cylinder mounted on the carrier, a piston slidable in the cylinder, and a link having one end connected to the piston and its other end connected with the gun.

26. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a swinging carrier, a cylinder on the carrier, and a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun and movable with respect to the carrier during all movements of the carrier.

27. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a swinging carrier, a cylinder on the carrier and immovable with respect thereto, and a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun and movable with respect to the carrier during all movements of the carrier.

28. In a gun, the combination or breech mechanism including a swinging carrier, a cylinder on the carrier, a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun, and means for supplying motive fluid to the cylinder through said piston.

29. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a swinging carrier, a cylinder on the carrier, a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun, and a flexible pipe connected with the piston for delivering motive fluid through said piston to the cylinder.

30. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a swinging carrier, cylinder on'the carrier, a piston slidable in the cylinder, and a link having one end connected to the piston and its other end connected with the gun.

81. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, said carrier having a passage therethrough, a cylinder extending into said passage and having a circumscribing flange fitted in one end of the passage, a piston slidable in the cylinder, a head on said piston exteriorly of the cylinder and slid-able in the passage, a spring in the passage surrounding the cylinder and bearing at one end against the flange and at its other end against the head on the piston, and a link having one end connected to said head and its other end connected with the gun.

32. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged car ier, means for exerting a force on the carrier in one direction, and means simultaneously e2;- erting a force on the carrier in a direction at right angles to the direction of the first "force.

33. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier, a spring exerting a force on the carrier in one direction, and a link between the spring and gun coacting with the spring to cause the latter to simultaneously exert a force on the carrier in a direction at right angles to the direction of the first force.

34. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier, a cylinder on the carrier, a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun, and means for supplying fluid pressure to the cylinder to close the breech, said pressure exerting an operating force on the carrier in one direction and simultaneously exerting an operating force on the carrier in a direction at right angles to the direction of the first force.

35. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier, a cylinder on the carrier, a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun, and means for supplying compressed fluid to the cylinder to close the breech, the pressure of said fluid exerting an operating force through the cylinder on the carrier in one direction and said pressure acting through the piston to simultaneously exert an operating force on the carrier in a direction at right angles to the direction of the first force.

36. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier, a cylinder on the carrier, a piston slidable in the cylinder and connected with the gun, and means for supplying compressed fluid to the cylinder to close the breech, the pressure of said fluid exerting a force on the cylinder head in one direction and simultaneously exerting a force on the piston which acts in a direction at right angles to the first force.

37 In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, a spring on the carrier the force of which at one end acts against the carrier, and a link connection between the other end of said spring and the gun disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the spring whereby a component force at the end of the spring adjacent the link acts at right angles to the direction of the first named force.

38. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, a spring on the carrier, the force of said spring at one end thereof acting against the carrier parallel to the spring and a component force of the spring at its other end acting against the carrier in a direction at right angles to the direction of the first named force.

39. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech mechanism, and a spring on the carrier always tending at one end to close the carrier, and means associated with the spring whereby the force of the spring at its other end tends to close the carrier during part of the swing and to open the carrier during another part of the swing.

40. In a gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, said carrier being provided with a cavity, a spring in said cavity, a piston slidable in the cavity, and coacting with the spring, and a link having one end acting against the piston and its other end acting against the gun.

41. Ina gun, the combination of a breech mechanism including a hinged carrier mounted to swing downwardly during opening of the breech, said carrier being provided with a cavity, a spring in said cavity, a piston slidable in the cavity and coacting with the spring, an anti-friction bearing between the piston and the wall of the cavity, and a link having one end acting against the piston and its other end acting against the in. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DORSEY F. ASBURY.

Witnesses-z EDITH S'rowELL, A. Y. LEECH, Jr. 

